Proposed bus network for Bendigo - Public Transport Victoria

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Proposed bus network for Bendigo

A new, better bus network is proposed for Bendigo

A new bus network is proposed for Bendigo that will provide more direct routes with more connections with trains.

Key features of the new bus network:

Changes to the proposal in Spring Gully, Huntly, Eaglehawk, Jackass Flat and Epsom
More direct routes to give you a faster journey
Improved train connections at Bendigo Station
A new cross town service operating from Huntly to Kangaroo Flat, plus a new service to Jackass Flat and expansion into growth areas in Strathfieldsaye
A new fast direct service connecting Bendigo Station trains to La Trobe University
Services departing to/from Eaglehawk town centre every 15 minutes on weekdays
A more direct service to the city from Strathfieldsaye providing a faster journey

Page contents

Community consultation

PTV initially sought community feedback in December 2014. On 23 April 2015, Minister for Public Transport and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan announced that the second round of consultation on the Bendigo bus network will occur later in May following consultation on Bendigo Metro Rail. For more information see Bendigo Metro Rail

Feedback received from previous sessions has been taken into account and a number of proposed routes have been changed in response to the community's feedback.

Detailed information and maps are available from this page.

Community feedback has now closed.

Community information sessions

Thank you to everyone that attended the customer information sessions. The sessions have now closed. Outcomes from the sessions will be communicated soon.

Area by area summaries

Bendigo City

The Bendigo network is being restructured to deliver improved coordination with trains and to coincide with an improved train timetable as part of the completion of the Regional Rail Link project and Bendigo Metro Rail.

The new bus network will provide bus service into urban growth areas in Bendigo that are currently not serviced by public transport, as well as provide an improved ‘premium’ service providing access between Bendigo Station and the university, and across town between Kangaroo Flat and Huntly.

Bendigo city will be serviced by 13 bus routes with all bus routes servicing both Bendigo Station and the Mitchell Street bus interchange.

Bendigo Hospital will also be serviced by four bus routes, with an easy interchange available at the Mitchell Street bus interchange or Bendigo Station. Once the bus timetable is finalised, some bus routes may continue on as other bus routes that pass Bendigo Hospital, meaning customers don’t need to interchange.

La Trobe University

Travel to La Trobe University will be made much easier for students with three bus routes servicing the University, reducing the need for students to drive. A new fast and direct route, bus Route 62 Bendigo Hospital to La Trobe University will provide direct and fast services between Bendigo Station and the university. While bus Routes 61 and 63 will provide access to the university from nearby suburbs such as Spring Gully, Strathdale and Kennington.

With these options, there won’t be long to wait to travel to/from the university.

Eaglehawk

Eaglehawk customers will have access to two direct routes providing a faster journey to and from Bendigo City. Bus services will depart to and from the Eaglehawk town centre approximately every 15 minutes on weekdays, with buses to service Eaglehawk Village in Victoria to ensure good access to the nearby shops.

Epsom to Kangaroo Flat

The Epsom to Kangaroo Flat corridor has a high proportion of local jobs, along with over a third of Bendigo’s population within walking distance of the new bus Route 5 along the Midland Highway, the majority of Bendigo’s retail floor space and a large number of jobs. This bus route is designed to provide a frequent and direct bus route to jobs, shopping destinations and schools along the highway and into the city, providing an alternative to driving to work or for shopping. By getting more people to use the bus to and from work, this will reduce traffic along the highway. Epsom customers will also have access to bus Route 50 providing access to Bendigo Hospital. Bus Route 55 to Kangaroo Flat West connects Kangaroo Flat customers to Lansell Square Shopping Centre and into Bendigo city, as well as providing access to the St John of God Hospital.

Spring Gully

Spring Gully customers will have access to two bus routes, a direct bus Route 65 Spring Gully to Bendigo Station and a bus Route 62 Spring Gully to Bendigo Station via La Trobe University and Strath Village. The direct bus Route 65 will be introduced as a trial bus service with the community encouraged to use the bus service to increase patronage. This route will provide a direct journey to Bendigo Station. The new bus Route 62 will provide connections to key local destinations, such as La Trobe University and the recently upgraded Strath Village, then onto Bendigo Station and central Bendigo. Under the proposed new bus route, journey times to La Trobe University will take as little as 10 minutes and 15 minutes to Strath Village. Both routes will be reviewed after six months of operation to determine the right service for Spring Gully.

Huntly

Customers in the new housing estate in Huntly will have access to bus services for the first time and bus Route 5 will be extended to Huntly to provide access to key destinations along the Midland Highway, such as Weeroona College, White Hills Primary School, Lake Weeroona, plus provide a direct bus service from Huntly along the highway to Kangaroo Flat via Bendigo Station. As this corridor has a high proportion of local jobs and shops, this frequent and direct bus route will provide a great alternative to driving to work.

Strathfieldsaye

Bus Route 70 has been designed to service new housing areas in Strathfieldsaye and provide a semi-express journey into Bendigo to make travelling into Bendigo and back faster for these customers, plus it will service the Strath Village shopping centre.

Maiden Gully

The Maiden Gully route will extend to the new Marist Brothers College during school times so students can get to and from school easily. PTV is aware of rapid growth in Maiden Gully, and over time further enhancements will be planned for this route.

Jackass Flat

Residents in Jackass Flat will benefit from having access to bus services for the first time to Bendigo Hospital and the city.

Strathdale

Customers in Strathdale will have a more direct route via McIvor Road to connect Strathdale with the city and the university.

East Bendigo

Customers in East Bendigo will have the option of a neighbourhood route operating to Powells Avenue, or for a faster and more frequent journey, customers can access services on McIvor Road.

Golden Square

The Golden Square route has been streamlined to operate via Quarry Hill and to provide good access for the Golden Square area.

Junortoun

There is no change to the Heathcote to Bendigo via Junortoun bus service that is operated by McIvor Transit that currently services Junortoun. As the Junortoun area grows, PTV will review public transport services in this area to ensure they meet demand.

General information

Why is a new bus network proposed for Bendigo?

PTV regularly reviews bus networks across Victoria to ensure they continue to meet community needs. Locally in Bendigo, work towards the City of Greater Bendigo’s Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy has helped inform the new bus network’s design.

These proposed changes will complement new train services to be introduced as part of Bendigo Metro Rail and also with the completion of the Regional Rail Link project.

How was the proposed new bus network designed?

In preparing the proposed network PTV has:

Looked at the public transport themes in the Bendigo Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy
Researched the demographics and travel patterns of Bendigo residents
Reviewed usage on the existing services
Reviewed customer feedback as part of the first round of community consultation
Worked closely with local Bendigo Transit bus operators, Christian’s Bus Company and Whitmore’s
Strathfieldsaye Transit to develop the bus network.

PTV aims to have most homes in urban Bendigo within 400 – 600 metres of a bus route. The proposed changes will make public transport accessible and attractive to more people, however for some customers established travel plans will need to change.

Some routes on the proposed network are less direct than others and these are called neighbourhood routes. Neighbourhood routes improve accessibility to public transport, however they are slower and less frequent. Typically neighbourhood routes are used where demand for public transport is lower than elsewhere, but where it’s still important to provide a service to assist with people’s mobility and access to transport.

How will buses coordinate with trains?

Bus timetables will coordinate with trains on many services. In the morning, inbound buses will coordinate with trains going to Melbourne. In the afternoon, outbound buses will coordinate with trains coming from Melbourne.

Will all buses coordinate with trains?

No – not all routes coordinate with trains because not all travel demand is to connect with the rail system. For example, in the morning while most people from suburban Bendigo are travelling to Bendigo, or by rail to Melbourne, services to La Trobe University operate in the other direction – taking people outbound from the city, suburbs and from stations to the university, because that’s where most people on those services are travelling.

Will school bus services be changing?

Generally no, school bus services will not change. However there may be some existing school bus services that are duplicated by the new network, and where this occurs, a school bus may be substituted for a normal route service bus. Similarly some school bus times may change slightly because of the new network’s timetable. PTV will work with schools to inform parents of any changes to school bus services.

Long term plan for Bendigo buses

Bendigo is a rapidly growing city, and in line with the aspirations in ITLUS, PTV will continue to pursue opportunities to improve Bendigo’s bus network.

Will buses need to change as a result of the outcomes of the Bendigo Metro Rail Project?

Small changes to the bus network may be required as a result of the outcomes of the Bendigo Metro Rail Project. If changes are required, PTV will inform the community of these changes.

Frequency of bus services

Most routes will operate every 30 or 60 minutes, however some services operate less frequently, while others operate more frequently. At certain places in Bendigo, such as Eaglehawk, more than one bus route will operate. PTV aims to offset departure times, so for example, two routes operating every 30 minutes can form a departure every 15 minutes from certain places on the network. See below for the frequency, span of hours and route table.

Map

Download the Bendigo proposed bus network map (PDF) 1MB

For customers with accessibility requirements, all content within the map is contained within this page.

Downloadable information handout

Download the Bendigo proposed bus network information handout (PDF) 1.8MB

This is an easy to print information handout. For customers with accessibility requirements, all content within the information handout is contained within this page.

Frequencies, span of hours and routes

Frequencies, span of hours and route information
Route	Name	Route description	Weekday peak frequency	Weekday interpeak frequency	Weekend frequency	Span of hours
5	Huntly to Kangaroo Flat via Bendigo Station	High St, Mitchell St, Railway Pl, Mitchell St, McCrae St, Napier St, Howard St, Station St, Allen St, Midland Hwy, Waratah Rd Please note every second trip will service the alternating terminus in Huntly, as in the last three bus stops on the Midland Highway and the new housing estate on Waratah Rd.	30 minutes	30 minutes	60 minutes	5.30am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 7.30am – 7.30pm Sat 9.30am – 6.30pm Sun
50	Bendigo Station to Epsom	Railway Pl,Mitchell St, View St, Barnard St, Lucan St, Weeroona Ave, Caledonia St, Finn St, Holdsworth Rd, St Killian St, Plumridge St, Kennewell St, Goynes Rd, Howard Rd,Strickland St, Myrtle Rd, Golf Course Rd. Station St, Howard St	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes	6.30am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 7.30am – 5pm Sat 8am – 3pm Sun
51	Bendigo Station to Jackass Flat	Railway Place, Mitchell Street, View Street, Barnard Street, Lucan Street, Nolan Street, Prouses Road, Holdsworth Road, John Street, Crane Street, Edwards Road, Jobs Gully Rd, Howard St, Averys Rd	60 minutes	60 minutes	90 minutes Sat	7am – 7pm Mon – Fri 7.30am – 6.30pm Sat
52	Bendigo Station to Eaglehawk Station via California Gully	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, Pall Mall, Bridge St, Arnold St, Holmes Rd, Sandhurst Rd, Nelson St, Bright St, Reserve St, Grenfell Ave, Victoria St, Butts Rd, Simpsons Rd, McClelland Dr, Hodgson St, Sailors Gully Rd, Kirkwood Rd, Peg Leg Rd, High St, Napier St, Panton St, Victoria St.	30 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes	6am – 8pm Mon – Fri 7.30am – 7.30pm Sat 9.30am – 5.30pm Sun
53	Bendigo Station to Eaglehawk Station	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, View St, Barnard St, Eaglehawk Rd, High St, Church St, Panton St, Victoria St.	30 minutes	30 minutes	60 minutes	6.30am – 8pm Mon – Fri 8am – 8pm Sat 9am – 4pm Sun
54	Bendigo Station to Maiden Gully	Railway Place, Mitchell Street, View Street, Moran Street, Buckley Street, Bennett Street, Victoria Street, Eaglehawk Road, Marong Road, Calder Highway, McNamara Dr Carolyn Way, Beckhams Road, Calder Highway, Monsants Road, Edwards Road, Tatiana Road, Lyndam Avenue, Beckhams Road.	60 minutes	60 minutes	No weekend service	7.30am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri
55	Bendigo Station to Kangaroo Flat	Railway Place, Mitchell Street, View Street, Barnard Street, Chum Street, Specimen Hill Road, Mackenzie St West, Symonds Street, Aspinall Street, Olympic Parade, Lockwood Road, Thomas Street, Wesley Street, Duke Street, Queen Street, Crusoe Road, Furness Street, High Street.	30 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes No Sunday service	6.30am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5pm Sat
60	Bendigo Station to East Bendigo	Railway Place, Mitchell Street, Pall Mall, Chapel Street, McIvor Road, Kennedy Street, Charleston Road, Stickland Road, Murphy Street, Lloyd Street, Crook Street, McIvor Road, Pratts Road, Strickland Road, Powells Avenue.	60 minutes	60 minutes	No weekend service	8.30am –7.30pm Mon – Fri
61	Bendigo Station to La Trobe University via Stathdale	Railway Place, Mitchell Street, Pall Mall, Chapel Street, McIvor Highway, Reservoir Road, Cousins Street, Harley Street, Condon Street, Edwards Road, Ellis Street, Curtin Street, Keck Street.	30 minutes	30 minutes	60 minutes	7am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm Sat 9am – 3.30pm Sun
62	Bendigo Station to Spring Gully via La Trobe University and Strath Village	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, Paul Mall, Chapel St, McIvor Highway, Murphy St, St Aidans Rd, Edwards Rd, Ellis St, Sharon Ave, Keck St, Wirth St, Drechsler St, Neale St, Osborne St, Cook St, Retreat Rd, Mandurang Rd, Francis St, Broad Parade, Francliff Ave	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes No Sunday service	7am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 8am – 5.30pm Sat
63	Bendigo Hospital to La Trobe University via city	Arnold St, Stewart St, Bayne St, Lucan St, Barnard St, View St, Mitchell St, Railway Pl, Mitchell St, Mollison St, Williamson St, Townsend St, Somerville St, Keck St.	30 minutes	30 minutes	No weekend service	7am – 8pm Mon – Fri only
64	Bendigo Station to Golden Square via Quarry Hill	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, High St, Myrtle St, Russell St, Harkness St, Houston St, Adam St, Belle Vue Rd, Laurel St, Mac Dougall Rd, Hollow St, Young St, Stani St, Tucker St, Hattam St, Oak St, High St, Elm St, Panton St.	60 minutes	60 minutes	No weekend service	9am – 7pm Mon – Fri only
65	Bendigo Station to Spring Gully	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, Carpenter St, Carolin St, Retreat Rd, Mandurang Rd	60 minutes	60 minutes	60 minutes Sat No Sunday service	7am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri 8am – 5.30pm Sat
70	Bendigo Station to Strathfieldsaye	Railway Pl, Mitchell St, High St, Myrtle St, Russell St, Olinda St, Pyke St, Miller St, Townsend St, Condon St, Strathfieldsaye Rd, Saxby Dr, Baymont Dr, Brentwood Blvd, Waterford Dr, Ryalls Ln, Guy Hill Rd, Sussex St, Regent St, Tannery Ln, Taylors Ln, Bassett Dr, Strathfield Rd.	30 minutes	60 minutes	90 minutes No Sunday service	7am – 7pm Mon – Fri 8am – 3pm Sat